In this proposal, two-dimensional NMR methods will be utilized for studying the orientational ordering of pure liquid crystals and for the simplification of anisotropic spectral analysis of molecules dissolved in the nematic phases (LCNMR). The order parameters of different molecular segments in the nematic phases of alkyl p-[p- ethoxyphenoxycarbonyl] phenyl carbonates as well as chiral smectic phases of chlorine containing ferroelectric liquid crystals will be studied by the two-dimensional carbon-13 NMR technique of separated local field (SLF) spectroscopy combined with off magic-axis, variable-angle spinning (VAS) of the sample. Sample rotation near magic angle will also be employed in the second part of this proposal for coherently reducing all anisotropic interactions to produce "first-order" spectra of solute molecules and will be analyzed by the well known correlated spectroscopy (COSY) and SLF type two-dimensional experiments. The long term objective and the specific goals of this proposal are: (1) to perform a comparative study of the orientational ordering of several series of nematic crystals to evaluate the influence of the linking group on the ordering parameter of each fragment; (2) to study the effect of chiral centers in perturbing the molecular orientation of liquid crystals containing chiral centers; and (3) to combine sample rotation methods near magic angle with two-dimensional concepts to simplify anisotropic LCNMR spectral analysis of oriented molecules such as aniline and biologically important molecules such as dimethylformamide and acetamide by multi-nuclear one- and-two-dimensional NMR methods. The proposed research will enhance the student and faculty research environment at the university of Guam by active involvement of our students in research participation with the Japanese and the U.S. mainland NMR facilities. These research experiences will be of benefit to our minority students when making decisions on biomedical and related health-science post- graduate careers.